Announcing the Manchester Open Castlefield Gallery Artist Development Awards 26/27

Announcing the recipients of the 2026 Castlefield Gallery Artist Development Awards at the Manchester Open 2026.

The Castlefield Gallery Artist Development Awards are awared as part of Manchester Open 2026. Delivered in partnership with HOME, it supports artists at a pivotal stage in their careers through a bespoke year-long programme of professional development. Helping them to build sustainable practices, the programme also helps to build relationships and develop new opportunities.

For over four decades, artist development has been central to our mission. Through tailored mentoring, professional guidance and opportunities to connect with peers and the wider contemporary visual arts sector, this award reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting artists to develop their careers over the long term.

Working in partnership with HOME, the programme offers each artist an individually tailored package of support, recognising that every practice has different ambitions, challenges and pathways for growth.

The 2026 recipients are:

Rio Darwin is a sculptural ceramic artist whose practice explores resilience, vulnerability and the changing landscapes of the Holderness Coast.

Florian Houlker is a multidisciplinary artist creating sculptural installations that explore identity, memory, nostalgia and shared human experience through ceramics, printmaking, casting and reclaimed materials.

Chidimma Urunwa Ikegwuonu is a contemporary painter whose richly textured works on bamboo-woven surfaces and canvas explore culture, identity, women’s history, feminism and social experience.

We look forward to working closely with Rio, Florian and Chidimma over the coming year as they develop their practices through this bespoke programme, and to continuing our long-standing partnership with HOME in supporting artists to build resilient and sustainable careers. Each winner is also granted an honorary Castlefield Gallery Associates Membership.

Beyond our own awardees, other winners from the evening include:

Fleur Yearsley as the recipient of the HOME Granada Foundation Galleries Solo Exhibition Award. Working across painting and installation, Fleur’s practice explores memory, gender and pop culture through every day public and domestic spaces. She received her MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2017, her work is held in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection, and she was selected for the John Moores Painting Prize in 2020.

The Kate Vokes People’s Choice Award, voted for by visitors to Manchester Open 2026, has been awarded to Thomas Christian Bradley – an Oldham born artist whose work is rooted in drawing. Fascinated by faces, figures and the expressive nature of human movement, he creates distinctive compositions inspired by film, photography, found imagery, still life and imagination.